Two suspected Hezbollah members arrested in Germany

A police officer stands in front of the Al-Irschad Mosque during a raid on April 30, 2020 in Berlin, as dozens of police and special forces stormed mosques and associations linked to Hezbollah. (AFP file photo)

• The pair are alleged to have represented Hezbollah in the Bremen region of northern Germany, handling organization and logistics for the group

BERLIN: German federal prosecutors announced the arrest of two alleged members of Hezbollah on Wednesday suspected of recruiting and organizing activities for the Iran-backed Shiite movement.
Named only as Lebanese national Hassan M. and German-Lebanese dual citizen Abdul-Latif W. the pair were detained in northern Germany, the federal prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
It said Abdul-Latif W. joined the organization “at the latest” in 2004 and Hassan M. in 2016. They are both now facing charges of “membership of a foreign terrorist organization.”
The pair are alleged to have represented Hezbollah in the Bremen region of northern Germany, handling organization and logistics for the group.
The two suspects were to appear later Wednesday before a judge “who will decide whether to remand them in custody.”
Hezbollah’s military wing is classed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, Britain and a majority of member states of the Arab League.
Germany banned the activities of the group’s political wing, which regularly organizes anti-Israeli demonstrations, in 2020.